Bradley, thank you so much for being a part of today’s feature! You truly inspire me, not only because you are an awesome artist, but also because of your faith. Keep up the great work my friend. Be sure to check out Bradley’s work by clicking HERE.

Meet Bradley.

Based out of the northwest, US Photographer Bradley Castaneda shares with us a unique point of view to his drenched, evergreen landscape. Whether its imagery from a wet forests, or snow-covered peaks, Bradley’s attention to detail and trusting photography is nothing short of entertaining. His work is simply original, authentic, and tranquil matching his personality in every way.

Where do you gain inspiration from?
Haha, the question artists always ask each other. I get my inspiration from lots of places. Be it the Behance network, thecssawards.com or designheroes.co.uk/ I mainly just stick with digital resources like those. But to be completely honest, God is the first place I seek from helping artistic direction. I figure it’s His gift not mine, so better ask Him what I should do first.

If you were a tree (or animal) what kind of tree (animal) would you be?
I need to move around. Animal. Grizzly Bear. I could live that life.

What things in life drain your energy?
Revisions & Proofs. The ‘paperwork’ of being an artist.

What is the last book you read?
I’m the type that never finishes books. I’ll pick one up, read the majority, and then put it down to pick up a different one. But the one book I can never put down is the Bible, and my favorite scripture is Psalm 62:2 “He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.”

If you could be any character in fiction, whom would you be?
I would have no problem being Jason Bourne. The guy is nuts.


If you had only six months left to live, what would you do with the time?
Travel to all the the places I have left to visit. Norway, Antarctica, Paris, Russia, Iraq. Spend time with loved ones, and get a life’s worth of adventure in before I croak!

If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to see play the lead role as you?
Viggo Mortensen might be a good pick. Any suggestions?

Her name is Elle Moss and to say she is just talented is really an understatement. Her work has been featured in tons of magazines, has participated in group and solo exhibits, has work in a hand full of books, and even has some of her work as book covers! She also has an awesome Etsy shop (which is where I found her) where she sells different sized prints of her work, postcards, magnets, and the most awesome jewelry. So I could brag about her all day long pretty much, but I must say that the thing that inspires me most about her is the way she is able to create her self-portraits. Self-portraits are seriously the hardest thing (at least I think) to capture successfully. Her concepts and delivery are so on point. It blows my mind really. How someone creates these images in their head and then brings the vision to life is far beyond me and I totally envy the skill to be honest. : ) So I’ll stop blabbing and let you enjoy her awesome work. And if you think these images here on my blog are amazing…then you MUST check out her other stuff.

Here are her links to:
Etsy
Flickr
Blog

And I’ll say one more thing…this first image is hands down my favorite piece of all her work. This image just speaks to me and there is so much emotion behind it. You’ll have to discover the story behind this image by checking out her links. ; ) And be sure to check out her answers to some of my silly questions! Leave this girl some L.O.V.E.

Where do you gain inspiration from?
Oh everywhere! Old movies, music, books, my childhood, my grandmother’s old photographs.
Artists, like Remedios Varo, Frida Kahlo and Cindy Sherman, are also very inspiring to me.

What do you see yourself doing 5 years from now?
Something creative, I’m sure. Photography of course, but I hope I will be trying other things, like writing literature and poetry and also writing and recording music.

What are things that drain your energy?
My kids! I have a teenage son and 4 year old daughter. They are the loves of my life and I adore them, but they do tire me out!
Also, Michigan’s long winters are draining and depressing.

Your favorite word?
Oh geez, I dont know! Maybe “free”, because of it’s meaning, or my daughter’s name, “Olivia” for how beautifully it rolls off the tongue.
I’m also quite fond of the “f” word. So many uses and meanings
Give us a little detail about how you create your self-portraits.
Half of the time I conceptualize what I am going to do and the other half I shoot from the hip. I use natural lighting around my house, and have a few ‘costume’ containers that I can delve into to get into character. Then I set up my tripod and use my camera’s self timer (with a remote) and shoot a ton of images. I then spend quite a bit of time in photoshop, further creating mood and playing with color and composition.

Hope you all enjoyed todays Featured Artist Friday! What inspires you?!

Erin and Jeff are pretty much awesome. I had the pleasure of meeting them at PartnerCon 2009 (and hopefully this year again if I go!) where they hosted a little workshop for about 25 other photographers. They taught all of us so much and were so open, I just love that. And I’ll never forget how Erin rocked some 3-inch heels for the entire shoot! She’s awesome. You can see some of the photos I took of our amazing couple, Zach & Jody Gray, by clicking here. Erin and Jeff also took time out of their busy schedules to come up to Seattle and speak to the Tacoma Pictage Users Group (PUG!) Their presentation was titled, “Keepin’ it real in a Rockstar World” which I learned a lot from! I love these two because they are real. They never try to act like something they are not, and in this industry…sometimes that is hard to find. Their blog is filled with all types of goodness so you must check it out. Not only do they have some sweet photography, they also share some amazing recipes with the world every Sunday, which makes me believe I have a small chance at cooking every now and then : )

Erin and Jeff, thank you so much for being a part of the Featured Artist Friday’s! I hope you all can gain some inspiration from these two and for any photographers out there…their blog is FILLED with tons of awesome tips and tricks for your business! Aren’t they the best?! Seriously. And now I will turn it over to this awesome couple!

Meet Jeff and Erin Youngren!

We are Jeff and Erin Youngren, a husband and wife team based out of San Diego, CA, that photographs weddings and engagements all over the US and beyond. We love creamy lattes, fuzzy slippers, good wine, long naps, cool couples, warm light, unique weddings, and our crazy cat Gracie. We’re addicted to 30 Rock and The Office, we listen to Coldplay and U2 way too much, and we always have Sam Adams in our fridge. We also love traveling, cooking, eating, sleeping, Jesus and each other.

If you could give one piece of advice to other artists, what would it be?

You are unique, and you are good enough. As artists, we know itʼs a constant struggle of self inspection and comparison to our peers, and with that often comes a feeling of not being good enough. You are. That doesnʼt mean there isnʼt room to improve (thereʼs always room to improve and get better) it just means that great work by others should, quite simply, inspire you to be better.

What inspires you Jeff?

Jeff: Iʼm inspired by photography that is completely unrelated to weddings. I love commercial photography as well as documentary photojournalists. When I need to be inspired, I check out the Pulitzer website and get lost in the images of the past winners & nominees. I take this inspiration and try to somehow translate that into my craft of tellingthe story of the couples, friends, and families that are present at the weddings we shoot.

What inspires you Erin?

Erin: I love great design, so Iʼm inspired by fashion and home decorating. I love to pull out my Martha Stewart Living magazine and study the photographs of food and home details, and I turn to my Anthropologie catalog for inspiration with portraiture and fashion. Iʼm also inspired by great videography and cinematography, so I turn to shows such as Blue Planet and This American Life. They help me see the world in entirely new – and beautiful – ways.

What do you two love to do when you aren’t shooting?

We LOVE to cook! The absolute definition of a perfect evening for us is turning on some music, opening a good bottle of wine (or two) and cooking a meal together, and sitting down to a long dinner. Weʼre not “foodies” but we love to try new things, so if you send us a recipe to try, chances are that weʼll for sure try it at some point! Also, we just sold one of our cars and replaced it with two Italian-style scooters, so weʼve been scootinʼ everywhere – often with no destination in mind. Itʼs such a freeing and mind-clearing experience after a hard day or week of working and shooting.

What would I find in your guys refrigerator?

Leftovers. We ALWAYS cook too much for the two of us, and usually one meal can be stretched across several days. In addition, we always have onions, peppers, and tomatoes in the fridge because theyʼre such a staple in a lot of the foods we love cooking. Oh, and sweet chili sauce. Jeff puts it on everything.

If you could photograph any person in the world, famous or not famous, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be?

Jeffʼs Top 5: (Going with Living, possibilities are endless otherwise!)
I selected these people because I feel like theyʼre super interesting and/or influential and Iʼd simply like to meet them and spend a few minutes photographing them. 1.Bono 2.Seth Godin 3.Desmond Tutu 4.Steve Jobs 5.Warren Buffet

Erinʼs Top 5: I picked the first three because I feel like they are ordinary people that were/are in extraordinary circumstances. I would want to photograph them without their “stage” attire, in whatever outfits they wear around the house on a day off. I would be looking for the ordinary in them, whereas Iʼm usually looking for the unique or unusual inour subjects. The last two are simply personal wishes that can no longer come true.
1.The Edge 2.Princess Diana 3.Lady Gaga 4 & 5. My two grandfatherʼs (both deceased)

Jeff, if you could be superhero, what would your name and powers be?

Jeff: Oh man, this is hilarious. Ever since 6th grade Iʼve embraced my alter-ego inner-super hero which Iʼve self-named “Super Jefe”. What are my super powers, you ask? I would wear these uber-bionic eyeglasses that would allow me to gather enormous amounts of information in seconds through superhuman searches on Google. And I would be a rockinʼ DJ.

Erin, if you could be superhero, what would your name and powers be?

Erin: In high school, my friend and I were both tall and we were nicknamed the TwinTowers. I was Tower Number Two, and I would be one of those crazy stretching superheros that could stretch to any length.

Stina studied fine art in Perugia and fashion drawing in Florence, and also has a degree in illustration from Pratt Institute in New York. She was awarded the Society of Illustrator’s Student Scholarship in 1996 and in 1997, and has exhibited her work in several shows in New York and in Japan. She is actually having a new solo show at Gallery Hanahou in Soho, NYC – next month, titled “Perfectly Flawed.” I wish I could see her work in person! So if any of you are going to be in that area, I highly recommend going to see her work.

I hope you all enjoy today’s Featured Artist! There is just something about Stina’s work that makes me feel and want to dream.
It also makes me want to start painting again! Love it. Happy Friday everyone!

This is probably one of my favorites.

She also does these Photo-Incorporated pieces that are some of my favorites.

Be sure to leave this girl some love, she is seriously talented. And thank you Kristen for sharing with us and being a part of the Featured Artist Fridays!
You can check out more of her awesome work here.
Take it away Kristen…

Orlando wedding photographer, Kristen Weaver, loves Chik-Fil-A sweet tea, and feels she may never have made it where she is today without it. She loves fashion photography (those who cannot, take photographs of those who can), wedding photography, family portraits, senior portraits and being able to capture them. She’s a philanthropist at heart, trying to change the world one slice of cheese at a time. She mainly shoots in the Central Florida area, but is available for destinations as well.

Who inspires you? Or where do you find inspiration?

Ok, well obviously you read my blog about Paolo Roversi being my biggest inspiration in photography. But I also find a lot of inspiration from music. It’s all about the energy and a feeling at my shoots. When that’s in place, I’m completely inspired. When I’m inspired, I definitely shoot my best work. I could shoot all day being in that frame of mind. It’s so energizing!

What got you into photography?

This is one of those questions with a really long answer… so I’ll summarize by saying that I’ve always been intrigued by it, but it was probably my intense passion for fashion magazines that made me connect all the dots. From more of a physical position, I picked up the camera for a graphic design project in college, and haven’t put it down since. I can specifically remember “phases” of my life by the role that photography has played in it.

Mention an incident when you laughed out loud at yourself?

I couldn’t possibly narrow it down to one

If Hollywood made a movie about your life, who would you like to see play the lead role as you?

Katherine Heigl, because I just think she cracks me up. I’ve been told that I have the same facial expressions as her. So that’s fun!

What was the last movie you went to see?

Actually, this weekend we saw 2! Despicable Me and Grown Ups. I loved both of them, but Despicable Me was my favorite

What would we find in your refrigerator right now?

A lot of drinks! Coke, IBC Root Beer, Milk, Bottled Water, Lemonade and Yeungling. I think there’s also blueberries, cherries and carmel dip. It’s a little hodge-podge of random stuff.

During your childhood, what was your favorite comic character?

Jem! Or, the Wuzzles! Or anything Disney… even though we lived in Ohio, my parents would save all year for this giant blow-out Disney vacation and I just LOVED it! Now I live in Orlando and never even get over there – but when I do, I could pretty much tour the entire place.

Which is your favorite language other than you native language?

Italian. I learned it (and I use that loosely) in high school, and went over to Italy as a junior. I love everything about it – the culture, the language, the scenery and the food! Mmm…. Gelato.